Push Vanity Plates, Charge Every Year

My wife and I grew up in Simsbury during a time when Hartford was a thriving metropolis of business and commerce. We recently relocated back to Connecticut from Texas to be closer to family and friends and to raise our two young kids as New Englanders and in the manner and traditions we are accustomed. My concerns today, as an adult, are different than they were growing up, and I see our great state withering away under incredible taxation, anti-business climate and misguided policies. It is with this in mind that I offer an idea that I think can bring more money into the state's coffers to help address these problems.

In Texas, many drivers distinguish themselves from others by using vanity license plates. For this change and personalization, they pay a fee. In Connecticut, we have roughly 2,660,000 licensed drivers. If half of those drivers opted for a vanity plate or a designer plate at $150 per year, we would collect almost $200 million per annum.

I don't pretend that this will solve all that ails Connecticut in these challenging times, but innovation and thinking outside the box can allow us the capital to lower taxes in various areas and drive more businesses into the state rather than away from it.